The present invention relates generally to a golf ball having a soft coating. In particular, the invention relates to a golf ball having a soft surface coating, or outer surface coating, that maintains durability and has a low energy surface.
Golf balls are important sporting goods that have changed with changes in technology. For example, balls were first made of wood, and then by stuffing boiled, softened feathers into a leather sack. The sack typically was painted white, and would tighten upon drying. However, because the feather ball tended to absorb moisture and to split, many balls were required to play a round. Also, these feather balls were expensive as compared with wooden balls.
Both feather and wooden balls were in use until the gutta percha ball was made. The gutta percha ball was relatively inexpensive and easily manufactured. Also, the gutta percha ball was fairly durable, as compared with the feather ball, performed well because the surface could easily be roughened to improve flight characteristics, and so became popular. However, the ball exhibited a tendency to break up in flight.
Golf balls comprising other elastic materials then were developed. For example, a golf ball having a rubber core and an elastic thread wound tightly around the core was developed. The winding was covered with gutta percha at first, but later with balata. However, balata-covered golf balls often are damaged by players who are less skilled at striking the ball. Thus, tougher covers were developed, including in particular covers comprising an ionomer compound (Surlyn® is the trade name for one type of ionomer) or a polyurethane compound.
The surface of one type of modern golf ball typically is hard and durable. This type of golf ball is generally two-piece with a hard cover and a rubber core. In particular, covers comprising an ionomer compound are hard. Other types of golf balls are multilayered with a relatively soft (lower hardness, i.e., less than 65 Shore D) cover and a relatively hard mantle layer. Modern golf balls also often are coated with an abrasion-resistant relatively hard polyurethane surface coating. Such a hard coating typically adds a glossy appearance and durability to the ball. Often, the hardness rating of such material is approximately equivalent to the hardness of a 3H pencil and is greater than 40 on the Sword Rocker hardness scale.
Hard-covered golf balls offer low spin, durability, and other desirable golf ball properties and characteristics. However, hard-covered golf balls are not preferred by skilled players who seek to maintain control and achieve maximum distance on selected shots. Typically, golf balls that are intended to achieve maximum distance on a shot, such as a tee shot or a driver shot, are designed to spin less off the tee. Often, such golf balls preferred by a highly skilled golfer have a multilayer construction with a low hardness cover (less than 65 Shore D) and a higher hardness mantle layer. This construction allows for low spin off the tee but higher spin on shorter iron and wedge shots. The higher spin on short irons and wedge shots allows for better control of the golf ball upon landing. Such landing control is imparted by high spin rate and the ability to control that spin. It is difficult to control the spin of a hard-covered golf ball due to the nature of a hard cover/golf club face interaction (at least in part because a hard cover tends to slip up a club face).
Modern soft golf balls provide spin control and are resistant to abrasion, to cuts when the golf ball is not struck squarely, and to degradation with continuing play. Golf balls having too soft a surface, however, exhibit a tendency to collect dirt and to be difficult to remove from storage, such as the player's pocket.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for a high-end golf ball that provides high spin rate and the ability to control that spin essentially without degrading drive performance, yet remains durable. There also exists a need for such a ball that has a surface that does not tend to collect dirt.